Do You Suspect You’re a Victim of Identity Theft?

The Top 10 Steps You Should Take

Identity theft can happen in a variety of ways, but regardless of the method, the outcome is still the same: Your personal identifying information has been misused and it could have a serious impact on you, your reputation and your personal records -- including those pertaining to your employment history, health and credit.

If you are the victim of identity theft, what should you do?

Although every identity theft case is unique, the licensed investigators at Kroll Fraud Solutions offer the following general advice for a quick and prudent response to immediate signs of identity theft. Depending on your specific case and situation, you will likely need to supplement these steps with additional activity.

1. Analyze Your Situation

There are multiple types of identity theft. How have you been affected? If you are a victim, your case might involve one or more of the following types of fraud: credit, banking, taxes, employment, government benefits, medical, and criminal.

2. Place a Fraud Alert with a National Credit Reporting Agency (CRA)

Contacting one of the three CRAs reduces the risk of accounts being opened in your name without your authorization. Place the alert by calling either Equifax -- (888) 766-0008, Experian -- (888) 397-3742 or TransUnion -- (800) 680-7289. If you place the alert with one agency, they will notify the other two for you. A fraud alert also affords the right to a free credit report from each credit reporting agency. (See step 9 for more on ordering your credit reports.)

3. Check Your Financial Accounts

Close any accounts that were opened without your permission, and close any of your existing accounts that have seen unauthorized activity.

4. Check Your Computer for Viruses

If you use your computer to access sensitive online accounts, a computer infected with malicious computer programs could allow a hacker to steal sensitive data you may be typing to manage online transactions, such as bank, credit card and other sensitive identification information. If you believe your computer is infected, run your anti-virus program to scan for any viruses that need to be removed.

5. Secure Your Proof of Identity

Expect that you’ll be required to complete and submit an affidavit and provide proof of your identity. The Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Affidavit is widely accepted and can be downloaded here.

6. File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Share information about your situation with the FTC so they can collect it for possible use by law enforcement across the country. You may file online and print a copy to show to the police when you file your report (see step 7). You may also file a complaint by calling the FTC Identity Theft Hotline at (877) IDTHEFT, or (877) 438-4338.

7. File a Police Report

The police may only take the report as a courtesy and not pursue the matter. However, this step is still helpful to you, because you will need proof you reported the matter to the police. Preparing the FTC ID Theft Complaint beforehand will help you organize the pertinent information.

8. Keep a Record of Your Actions

Log the steps you take to address the situation. Include numbers called, names of people you talked to, dates of calls, faxes and mailings. Keep copies of all correspondence, affidavits, reports, etc.

9. Order Credit Reports for Review

If you’ve placed a fraud alert, confirmation letters from the CRAs will tell you how to order a free report. If you chose not to place a fraud alert, use the Annual Credit Report Request Service to obtain a free copy from each CRA. Federal law mandates that one free report from each CRA is available once every 12 months. You can request your credit report online or by calling (877) 322-8228.

Please note: Don’t rush to take this step if the ID theft event happened recently. Creditors may only report to the CRAs monthly. If you discovered credit-related ID theft right as it happened, wait 30 days or more before ordering a report so you don’t miss something that hasn’t been reported yet.

10. Don’t Ignore the Activity

You must take action to prove you are the victim and that you are not the party responsible for the suspicious activity in question.

[Kroll provides a broad range of investigative, intelligence, financial, security and technology services to help clients reduce risks, solve problems and capitalize on opportunities. The company began providing identity theft solutions in 1999 and created its Fraud Solutions practice in 2002 in response to increasing requests from clients for counsel and services associated with the loss of sensitive personal information, and related identity protection and restoration issues facing organizations and individuals. For more information, visit www.krollfraudsolutions.com.]